Bug Bites – Ground or Rooftop Gardeners Be Prepared

As far as bugs and dirt, and other outdoor stuff, none of those issues have ever concerned me when working with plants, seeds and just being in my various gardens. Nothing has scared me or bothered me. Sunscreen protects me from burning up and water keeps me hydrated. The one thing that never worried me was getting a bug bite. Until now.

It was a normal evening and my husband was helping me dig some holes to plant more plants (of course!) and I felt an odd feeling on my forehead. I asked my husband if there was a bug bite on my forehead. He looked at me and had a real scary look on his face. That was enough for me. I felt my head and it was enlarged and getting even larger as I felt it. I was bitten by something unknown and it was swelling rapidly. Our first thought was to get some allergy pills or something for allergies. As my head and face were swelling it got scarier. My eyes were swelling so much, my vision was becoming impaired.

I finally made the call – let’s go to the emergency room. Off we went. When we got there, they took me in immediately. Gave me a shot and Benadryl. I stayed there a few hours and the swelling continued. The bottom line was for one week I had swelling of the face that eventually went away after Benadryl, ice packs and the shot at the emergency room.

In all my gardening and all my adventures this had never happened to me before. Now I carry Benadryl spray and Benadryl pills, and always have plenty of ice packs in the freezer. There was nothing else that happened to me, but it was scary.

So the bottom line is that no matter if you are on the ground or on a rooftop, always be ready for things that can hurt you that you do not even know exist. Have a first aid kit handy and of course, use sunscreen, drink plenty of water and have the necessary supplies on hand in the event of a bug bite.  Bug bites are getting more and more prevalent and it seems there are also spider bites as well. Just be prepared and it will not be such a big emergency.

By the way, the emergency room visit was well over $1,000, so I have some very expensive tomatoes this year, to say the least!!

Thanks for reading,

~Linda
LDay@rooftopgarden.com